Brothers Grimm
by ChaosDemon1129
Summary: The level of Grimm are steadily rising and it is up to a new batch of students to stop them. Dusk Creed, Aaron Valmay, Neru Lee, and Wilde Joanes are all first years in Beacon Academy. Follow them through a series of events that may or may not leave them shattered. Au fic set a year after team RWBY graduates. OC
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! ChaosDemon1129 here. Thank you random people for clicking on this. This is my first ever fanfic and I hope to get positive feedback. This is an AU set the year after team RWBY graduates Beacon. I will accept constructive criticism and no flames unless they amuse me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. Roosterteeth does.**

* * *

I stood, holding Shadow's Thorn, in the midst of a pack of slain Beowolves in a clearing of a dark forest. I could feel more of them closing in on me and I braced myself for battle. The first Beowolf crashed in to the clearing, many more following it. The wolves in this group were bigger than the last. I turned Thorn into it's rifle form and fired at the charging Grimm. I hit three in the head, killing them instantly, and got another in the chest. I shot it a few more times before it collapsed to the forest floor and laid there, whimpering, as its blood drained out. I took a few more shots and turned Thorn back into its sword form as the wolves came closer.

The first Beowolf lunged, but I dodged and buried Thorn in its heart. Hearing another wolf about to attack, I slid Thorn out of the body and brought the blade up to block the swipe. I slid back a couple of feet and turned Thorn back into a rifle, shooting the wolf in the head. The top half of his head disappeared into a red mist. As the body dropped, it dissolved into shadows and I felt a surge of strength rush through me. I turned Thorn into a sword and spun to face the last Beowolf.

Clearly the Alpha of the pack and furious, it was much bigger than the others, its back covered in white armor and spikes. It sprinted forward, closing the distance with frightening speed. I felt shock run through me as I lifted Thorn to block its first attack. The wolf smacked Thorn out my hand easily and ran head on into my chest. The air rushed out of me and I smashed through a couple of trees before being stopped by a rock. Blood trickled down the side of my face, and I was positive I had a couple of broken ribs.

The Alpha walked toward me, knowing I wasn't going to get up, and stopped right above me. It placed a paw on my chest and opened its mouth, its acrid breath washed over me. I closed my eyes, and prepared for the worst.

"DUSK! WAKE UP! IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR YOU TO LEAVE YOUNG LADY!"

* * *

I jolted up out of my bed, startled by the noise. My mother stood over me, a scowl in place of her usual smiling visage.

"I was trying to get you up for the past hour! What in the world were you dreaming of?" She snapped, clearly angry.

"Sorry Mom." I groaned as the light hit me. I rolled out of bed, lightly dropping to my hands and feet.

"That's great and all, but remember what today is. Breakfast is on the table." She called, walking from the room. I brightened as I remembered. Then looked at the clock, and nearly screamed.

_I can't believe I overslept! I set an alarm and_ everything_!_

I jumped up and grabbed my towel as I rushed into the bathroom.

After I took a shower, I tugged on a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt with a purple flame design on it. I slipped on some sneakers and pulled my favorite dark purple jacket on, sheathing Shadow's Thorn at my hip.

I grabbed my suitcase and lugged it downstairs, snatched a piece of toast from the table, smeared jelly on it, and gave my mom a hug and a goodbye. I tore out of the door and ran towards the airport. Sprinting down the sidewalk, I nearly bowled over an elderly couple on their morning jog.

"Sorry!" I called out to them. I kept on running, everything passing in a blur. I think I nearly ran into at least seven people and scattered a flock of birds. When the airport finally came into view I looked at my watch and sighed in relief. I still had fifteen minutes left.

I sprinted into the doors and stopped at the reception desk.

"I h-have a ticket to B-beacon." I panted, trying to catch my breath.

"My aren't you in a hurry," The receptionist said, lightly teasing, "You're just in time. The airship will be departing shortly."

"T-thank you." I said, giving her a small bow. I staggered to an empty seat and sat down heavily. After a few minutes, I caught my breath and looked around the lobby. There was a small group of people my age picking on a faunus with cat ears on the other side of the room, probably headed to Beacon too, judging by the weapons they carried. After studying them for a moment, I came to the conclusion that they were a bunch of bullies, and I took a small book from my bag.

After reading a couple of pages the door burst open once again, admitting a panting teen about my age. He was a brunette with brown eyes wearing a dark brown shirt, his backpack nearly the same shade, and a pair of blue jeans. He wore steel bracers on his forearms and shin guards of the same metal. He had on a worn steel chest plate embossed with a leaf design. He spoke briefly to the receptionist and then walked towards me.

I pulled the book up to my face again, not wanting to talk to anyone. I felt him collapse into the seat next to me and spent a moment trying to catch his breath.

"Hey." He said. "My names Aaron Valmay." He outstretched his hand and I took it, shaking firmly.

"I'm Dusk Creed. Nice to meet you." I let go of his hand and turned back to my book.

"What's that book about?" He asked. I sighed, realizing that I wouldn't be able to read in peace.

"It's about some guy trying to defeat a very evil guy. He goes through the Multiverse with his friends, looking for things to help him fight his enemy." I explained.

"What's the Multiverse?" He asked, a blank look upon his face.

"Um... Crap, how do I explain this." I muttered, struggling to think. "Well basically if I was never born we wouldn't be having this conversation, even though I did, that could make another universe without me. There could also be one full of the creatures of Grimm and us being hunted down like rabbits."

"Hm… So there could be one with all of our genders changed?" He asked, his head cocked to the side a bit. _He's kinda cute. _I thought. _A bit clueless, but cute._ I blushed at the thought. Aaron mistook it for me thinking of certain part of my anatomy getting swapped. "I know. That's a bit of a disturbing thought."

"U-um. Yeah." I said still blushing.

"_Everyone departing from the airport to Beacon Academy please follow the blue light." _A blue line lit up in the floor after the message and ended at gate 5-A.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." I said.

"But I'm going to Beacon too."

"Really? Cool." I put my book away and stood up, reaching out a hand to Aaron to help him up. He gratefully accepted, still a bit tired, and we both walked to the airship.

* * *

"Haha! You're such a freak!" A voice jeered from the other side of the ship. The ship took of about half an hour ago and the small group of people I saw at the airport were still picking on the cat-eared faunus. They were slowly but surely grating on my nerves and I was ready to go over there and kick them through the window. I get thoroughly disgusted by people who pick on others for amusement.

"Did your mom screw a cat or somethi- Urggk!" He was cut off as my fist connected to his face. I didn't realize I got up until I saw it, but I didn't regret it either. He staggered back a bit, blood spurting out of his newly broken nose, as I flexed my hand.

"Wow! You have a hard head. Is it solid or something?" I jeered. He scrambled up, still holding his nose.

"Y-you bwoke my nose!" He stammered, his speech somewhat impaired. "Do you even know who I am?"

i raised an eyebrow, "An idiot?"

"I am Kayden Sheridan!" He shouted, obviously thinking it meant something to me.

I blinked, not recognizing the name, and remarked blandly, "... Who?"

"I am the heir to the second largest Dust company in Vale!"

"Ooh. So scary." I fake cowered. "Your family is the second best!" I relaxed and smirked, "Congratulations, you _almost_ impressed me."

Kayden ground his teeth and growled out, "I can make sure you don't get a job anywhere!"

"And I can make sure you don't leave this ship." I said, unsheathing Shadow's Thorn and placing it underneath his chin. He gulped and smartly backed off.

"Are you okay?" I asked, turning towards the cat eared faunus. She was still standing in the same place, tears in the corners of her amber eyes. She was wearing dark blue jeans and a blue t-shirt, a chain wrapped around her hips like a belt, at each end two small scythes dangled. She nodded and turned to leave, but stopped suddenly.

"What's your name?" She said in a small voice.

"Dusk Creed." I said, smiling at her. She timidly smiled back and said "I'm Neru Lee, first year."

"Me too." Her face lit up a bit after hearing this.

"Really? That's great! I hope we have the same classes." She beamed.

In the few moments it took to walk back to my seat she fully warmed up to me and we ended up talking for the rest of the flight.

* * *

"Hey, Dusk!" I turned and saw Aaron descending the ramp coming out of the airship. "Where were you?" he asked.

"I was just talking to Neru." I replied, slowing down to allow him to catch up.

"Who?" He asked when he got closer.

"She's over there." I said, waving to her. She saw us and quickly made her way across the throng of eager new students.

After a brief introduction, we filed into the auditorium and waited for the headmaster to start his speech. I looked up at the stage and saw a silver haired man with a coffee cup and a cane walk up to the microphone. He introduced himself as Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy, as the last stragglers arrived.

After Professor Ozpin spoke, we were told to set up our sleeping bags in the ballroom and that we would get our rooms the next day based on our teams. We claimed a spot near a large window and set down our things.

"What do you think about them? The teams I mean." Neru asked when we got settled. "I don't really know anyone else here."

"Well, we just have to try our hardest to get in the same one." Aaron said, optimistic.

"Yeah, but there are also lots of other people here too." I noted shaking my head.

"True." Neru groaned, flopping down onto her sky blue sleeping bag.

"Who's that?" Aaron said, looking over at the door. As we all looked over we noticed a boy of about fifteen, holding a small black sleeping bag, nervously looking around. I followed his gaze and noticed that there weren't any more open spots for him to put his stuff. Feeling a bit bad, I made a decision then.

"I don't know, but he doesn't have a place to sleep. Guys, scoot." After a few moments of moving we got a decent place ready for him and looked over to see that he had crept up on us, causing us to jump.

"Holy _crap_! Don't do that!" Aaron yelped, a hand clutching at his chest. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"I'm sorry." The boy said. Looking at the floor. "Um… Do you have a spot I can sleep in? I couldn't find any more room."

"Yeah. We noticed. We have a spot for you." I said. After he put his stuff down, he excused himself to put on his nightclothes. We did the same.

I took out a pair of black pajama pants and a dark purple shirt and walked to the bathroom. After changing I saw that the boy was back, sporting a gray tanktop and black pajama shorts. Neru was also back with a light blue nightgown. They were both talking to each other as I walked up to them.

"-es I do think that pineapples are kinda good. I don't particularly hate them." He said.

"Well I think they are absolutely disgusting. I wouldn't eat them if I was dying of hunger!" Neru burst out.

"How did you even get into this conversation?" I asked, a bit bewildered.

"Oh. Hi Dusk. Me and Wilde were just talking." She said.

"Wilde and I." Wilde corrected.

"It doesn't matter." Neru snapped.

"Um… okay. I'm just gonna go out on a limb and say that you're Wilde?" I asked.

"Yup! I'm Wilde Joanes. Nice to meetcha." He said, holding out a hand. I took it and shook.

"Dusk Creed."

"I know. Neru told me about you. I saw you punch that idiot." He chuckled. "His face was priceless." I smiled a bit, remembering the look on his face. Aaron chose that moment to show up in a dark brown tank top and gray sweat pants.

"Hey. What did I miss?" We introduced Wilde and Aaron to each other and found out that Wilde graduated Signal Academy a year early.

"I was contacted by Beacon. They asked if I wanted to come here early. Of course I said yes." He said when asked. "They said my grades were good or something."

Neru's ears perked up in surprise, "Same here!" She grinned, "I'm glad I'm not the only one. I thought it would get a bit awkward..."

"Cool." Aaron said. "I'm not that good with schoolwork." He made a face. We all laughed a bit. Not even my first day and I already made four friends. Mom would be proud. She always said I had a problem with people…

"Why is that?" Wilde asked when I voiced my thought aloud.

"Well, I had a rough childhood. You could say I've developed trust issues." I said, feeling my body tense and my gut twist uncomfortably at the memories. Neru, as if sensing my unwillingness to explain, took out a deck of cards.

"Anyone want to play?" She asked, swiftly taking and shuffling the cards. "We can do poker, go fish, or black jack."

"Poker!" Wilde exclaimed, jumping up excitedly. After a small nod from Aaron and I, Neru passed out the cards and we played.

A couple of rounds later, Aaron won, we all decided to go to sleep. Wilde was the first one out, quickly followed by Neru, when I felt a hand tap my arm.

"You still awake, Dusk?" Aaron whispered.

I moved a bit, "Yeah, what's up?"

"Why did you tell us about your past if you weren't comfortable with it?" I couldn't see his face, but the worry was obvious in his voice, "You didn't have to."

"I know, but I felt that I could trust you guys." I was a bit surprised at the words, but the more I thought about it, the more right it felt. I didn't feel this comfortable with anyone else, except my mother. It was… nice, for lack of a better term. I was glad that I had people I could talk to in Beacon. Aaron made a content noise at my answer, and I felt his hand slowly slip off of my arm and his breathing deepen. I laid in the darkness, listening to Neru's breathing, almost purring, and smiled, soon feeling the welcome darkness of sleep.

* * *

**And that concludes the first chapter of "Brothers Grimm". Please remember to review, follow, favorite, or whatever you guys do.**

**ChaosDemon1129 out.**


	2. Chapter 2

"-usk. Dusk, wake up. It's time for breakfast." A voice called.

I sat up with a groan and looked around with bleary eyes. Neru was sitting next to me, looking happy, and Aaron was trying to wake up Wilde.

"Wilde! Wake up!" He yelled, waking up most of the others in the room. Aaron noticed and paled, lowering his voice to a desperate whisper, "Wilde!"

"Yes." Wilde opened his eyes, looking alert and amused. "I was awake when you first called me."

Aaron recoiled, "What!? Why didn't you say something?"

Wilde shrugged nonchalantly and sat up, stretching. "I enjoy your reactions. They amuse me." Neru and I laughed as Aaron grumbled darkly.

"What's for breakfast?" Neru asked once everything calmed down.

"I think they said… Pancakes." Aaron responded after he thought for a while.

"Are they pineapple pancakes?" Wilde questioned, shooting an amused glance at Neru. She answered with an irritated glare and opened her mouth to respond.

"We'll figure it out when we get there," I interjected, hoping to diffuse the situation. "We should get ready." I grabbed my bag and headed for the bathroom.

After changing into my usual purple t-shirt and black hoodie, I walked back into the ballroom. Aaron and Wilde were already in their clothes waiting for Neru to finish getting ready.

"Neru! Let's go!" Wilde yelled, eager to get to breakfast. "I'm hungry!"

"Hold on!" Came the irritated reply, "I'm doing something!"

"Gaaah, fine!" Wilde put his back to the wall and sat down with a dark expression. "I'm hungry."

I raised an eyebrow and slid down next to him, "You can wait can't you?"

Wilde's expression changed, a hint of uneasiness rising. "I guess. I'm just nervous. Ozpin said that we would get teams today and I'm afraid to get into a group that I won't like." He cleared his throat and looked away from me, "The only friends I have are you guys."

I sat, contemplating on how best to ease his mind. Suddenly, I had an idea and I smiled, "Did you know Neru was scared too?" I asked gently, "She said as much before you came to sit with us."

"Really?" He looked up, doubtful.

"Yup." Aaron said, having walked over while we were talking, "She said that she was worried she would get into a team with people she didn't know. We said we would try to get into the same team, and the same goes for you." Wilde relaxed, and the door to the bathroom opened to permit Neru. She had her weapon of a chain and two small scythes at each end already slung around her waist.

"You guys ready?" Aaron asked.

"Yes!" Wilde nodded violently, "Let's go get us some food!~". I felt a small smile flit across my lips.

"Didn't you eat yesterday?"

Wilde laughed at me and shrugged, "Not really. I was too nervous."

I shook my head, "Then let's go."

* * *

"Phew. Those pancakes were delicious!" Wilde patted his stomach as we walked down to the cliff.

"Why do you think Ozpin wants us to come here? There's nothing over there except the Emerald Forest. What's he gonna do? Launch us in there?" Aaron joked.

"He might. We are in a school to train how to fight monsters. It might be a test." I contemplated, my fingers itching to grab Shadow's Thorn.

"Is that legal? I mean, someone might die." Neru said. She was messing with a small length of string. Wilde was fingering the pommel of two long knives, one strapped to each thigh, each pommel was shaped to look like a wolf.

"What are those?" I nodded to them. Wilde perked up, a happy grin plastered across his face.

"These are Lupus Rugiat. It means 'Snarling Wolf'. I use these and a variety of poisons in battle." He gestured to some vials strapped to his waist and pressed something on Lupus Rugiat's handles, pulling them out as they changed shape. "They're also pistols." Neru brightened and unsheathed her weapon with a twirl. It unfolded into a length of chain. Two scythes were attached at each end.

"Mine is named Raging Wind. They don't turn into guns, but I can shorten or disconnect the chain if I want to fight in closer quarters." Aaron took the opportunity to take out a small metal cylinder. He pressed a button on one end and it lengthened into a staff.

"This beauty is named Burst Steel. It also doesn't turn into a gun, but it has a retractable blade on both sides." He demonstrated and we all clapped for him. "What about yours?" He asked, nodding at me. I unsheathed Shadow's Thorn and turned it into it's rifle form.

"This is Shadow's Thorn. It's a one handed sword that can turn into turn into a rifle that shoots normal and Dust loaded bullets." I reached into a pouch at my hip and took out a bullet filled with red Dust.

"Why one handed?" Wilde questioned.

"I have a number of other small blades hidden on my person that I can use if it's too cramped to use a sword." I scuffed my shoe against the ground and a blade popped out of the toe.

"Guys! Here comes Ozpin and Ms. Goodwitch." Someone in the large group of students called. I looked up and indeed spotted them, Ozpin with a white coffee mug in his hands. We all walked to a platform to stand on and waited for the headmaster to start.

"Hello first years." He greeted, "Welcome to the prestigious Beacon Academy. You are gathered here today for your orientation. You must enter the Emerald Forest and find the temple ruins. In these ruins are artifacts. You will be allowed one partner, which will be the first person you make eye contact with upon landing. This will be your partner for your next four years here at beacon, so be careful." He trailed off dramatically and smiled before continuing, "I only have one other thing to say." He looked each and everyone of us in the eye. "Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path. Your mission starts now."

With his last word, the platform began launching students into the forest one by one. I looked to my left and spotted Aaron, raising an incredulous eyebrow. He shrugged and flashed me a thumbs up right before the platform launched him into the air. I braced myself as I felt the gears in the platform clank and groan in preparation.

The platform threw me up and I flew through the air, the edge of the cliff melting away behind me. Then I began falling, the ground swiftly approaching. I took out Shadow's Thorn and loaded a red Dust magazine, shooting it below me and flying a little higher from the resulting explosion. I turned in midair and shot again before it was too late to alter my course anymore. I had managed to avoid falling into any large trees, falling into smaller trees instead and slowing my descent without stopping. I finally landed in a small scorched clearing, doing a small roll to dampen the remaining shock before I quickly ran into the forest.

* * *

After about half an hour, I had just about given up on finding a partner. I sat perched in a tree, Shadow's Thorn in its rifle form, and I looked down the sights in an effort to spot anyone without a partner.

"Hellooo! Anyone out there?!" I turned to my left and spotted Wilde wandering around, his hands anxiously fingering Lupus Rugiat.

"Wilde!" I yelled happily, waving a hand. He looked around, startled, and then spotted me in the tree. "How have you been?"

Wilde smiled good-naturedly in reply, "Good, now that I found you." His eyes followed me as I leapt down from the tree. "Have you seen Neru or Aaron yet?"

"Nope. Hopefully they've teamed up together, though. By the way, do you know where the ruins are? I've been wandering for hours."

I stared at him for a moment, mouth pulled into straight line, "Um… It's only been half an hour."

"... I knew that," Wilde mumbled defensively. "Are you going to answer my question or not?"

"No, I don't know where they are. North, maybe?" I pointed and he followed me as we walked through the forest.

"So… Seen any Grimm yet?" Wilde asked, his eyes curious.

"Nope. Haven't seen any." I turned back to him, exchanging a concerned look, "But we are overdue." I looked back in front of me, only to see the claws of an Ursa flashing from the trees

I flinched and dropped to the ground, it's claws whistling overhead. I unsheathed Thorn and lunged forward, hoping to bury the blade in its stomach. I hit my mark and heard the Ursa roar in pain, then rolled back to avoid the Ursa's falling body. I launched myself back up onto my feet, whipping around to see Wilde defending himself against two more Grimm. I flicked Thorn into its rifle form and shot at the back of the nearest Ursa, taking care not to hit Wilde. Unfortunately, the bullets weren't as effective as a well-placed blade, and only served to make it angrier. In no time, it had left Wilde alone and had set its sights on me, charging with a deep roar. Steeling myself, I tensed the muscles in my legs and jumped.

I landed on the Ursa's back and, surprised, it stood up. I used the momentum to launch myself into the trees overhead and grab onto branch. Quickly pulling myself up, I looked back down at the monster. Its front legs were both planted on the side of the tree, and it was attempting to shake me down, growling in anger. The tree was swaying slightly, but I didn't seem to be in any immediate danger. I look back to Wilde to see that he had already dispatched the other and was in the process of sneaking up on the one that had me treed. Smirking, I reached above me to break off a large branch and hurled it at the Ursa. The limb stayed true and slammed into the Grimm's face, likely leaving scratches and debris in its eyes. Furious, the Grimm let go of the tree and began scrabble at its face in pain.

Wilde, now behind the enraged Ursa, took out a vial filled with a bright green liquid. He cocked his arm back and threw it on the ground under the Ursa. The earth beneath it began dissolving instantly, sending wisps of smoke into the air. The Ursa swung it's head around, alarmed, and accidentally stepped into the liquid. It immediately started to climb up the Grimm's leg, eating away at fur, skin, muscle, and finally, bone. It roared in pain and tried in vain to rid its hind leg of the offending liquid, but only managed to coat its arms. It collapsed on to the ground with pitiful sounds and Wilde placed a pistol at the base of its skull. A shot and a second later, the Grimm was silent and gone.

* * *

After walking North for another hour, we finally found the ruins. Rows of pedestals lined the perimeter, each with something on top of them. I was too far away to clearly make out what those somethings were.

"Hey, Wilde. Any idea what those are?" I at the objects, then turned around just in time to catch his shrug.

"One way to find out." He started down the hill, me close behind. Both of us had our weapons out, cautious after the fight with the Ursa. Earlier on, we had heard gunfire and yells repeatedly on the way to the ruins, making us even more paranoid.

My eyes narrowed at the thought. The Emerald Forest was supposed to have a small population of Grimm, but the sounds of fighting said otherwise. I had heard reports of some of the outer cities saying that the Grimm population had shown an unusual growth, but I had shrugged it off, thinking that it wouldn't bother us in the inner towns.

"Dusk!" My name called me back to the present. I looked down to the ruins and saw Aaron and Neru waving at us. "Found you!" I felt a grin on my face and saw Wilde grinning too. We both ran quickly down the hill.

"How are you guys?" I heard Wilde call. "I spent hours looking for someone."

I rolled my eyes, "It was only half an hour, Wilde."

"Felt like hours." He muttered.

"Well we didn't have to look long. This idiot landed on me, so we partnered up." Neru said, shooting a glare at Aaron, who rubbed his head sheepishly.

"Hey! It was an accident. We already agreed on that."

"Uh-huh." Neru looked like she wasn't quite convinced on the agreement, but continued on, "After that, we ran into some Beowolves. Didn't die though." Neru brightened up at the mention of the fight.

"That's always a plus. We killed some Ursa." Wilde added in, then pointed at the stone pedestals behind the two. "Did you get a look at those yet?" When Aaron and Neru shook their heads, he jogged over to the pedestals and picked up what appeared to be a small stone slab. He jogged over and showed that it was indeed a stone slab, a mid-sized diamond was etched into its face.

"Kind of looks like a card." Aaron said, a hand pulling out his staff as he turned to the forest. "But that can wait. We have company." The rest of us turned to see what he was looking at and froze. A pack of Beowolves burst from the edge of the forest, their howls pierced the afternoon sky.

"Um… We might have killed some of them." Neru said nervously. Aaron huffed and crossed his arms.

"Yeah. You didn't even let them howl, you little ninja."

I cut off any further elaboration, "Well, whatever happened we need to go. You guys grab a card then run to the cliff. I'll cover you." I loaded a blue Dust magazine in Thorn.

"But-" Neru started.

"Go!" I yelled, firing shots at the pack. I heard them turn as I kept shooting, freezing a wolf with every shot, but I knew I didn't have enough dust bullets to keep back this many adversaries. I kept shooting anyways, hoping to buy my friends more time.

* * *

**Hey guys. Sorry for the late update. Had school, holidays, and laziness to deal with. Finally got this chapter done. Special thanks to the amazing people who reviewed and followed me. My friends kept wondering why I was so happy. THANK YOU! Next chapter is gonna be a battle. Yay! REVIEW PLEASE! BE KIND TO ME!**


	3. Chapter 3

"I- I think we lost them," I panted when we stopped in a small clearing a few miles away from the ruins.

"It's. official. I don't. like Grimm." Wilde leaned against a tree, trying to catch his breath. "Too. damn. stubborn."

"I second that motion," Neru said, perched in a tree as she looked around the perimeter, "They're almost here, but we should still be able to rest for a little longer. I set a small trap to slow them down." Almost immediately, an explosion erupted from the direction of the ruins. The Grimm's howls of pain soon followed.

"H-how?" Aaron looked bewildered.

"Oops. Did I forget to mention I use bombs?" Neru giggled, sounding more demented than amused. "They're so much fun."

"I like poison better. Not as messy." Wilde said, fingering one of his vials, filled with a clear liquid and added as an afterthought, "Except when I use the one that makes people bleed through their pores."

"Sharpshooting's the best, in my opinion." I looked down the sights of my rifle. "It's barely messy at all when you get them through the eye." I mock fire Thorn and grin to myself.

"Um. I'm just going to be over here." Aaron shuffled over to a different part of the clearing, looking very uncomfortable while the rest of us laughed.

Howls stopped us, replacing our mirth with dread. We took out our weapons, waiting for the oncoming pack to hurl itself at us.

"Hey! I see the cliff!" Aaron yelled, pointing to the South. "Let's go!" He started running, looking back to make sure the rest of us were following. Wilde and I were close on his heels, but when I looked back, Neru was fishing around in her backpack, falling behind.

"Neru! Hurry up!" I yell, causing Wild and Aaron to look back in concern.

"Hold on a second!" she yelled before tossing some bombs behind her, "I'll be right over!" She sped up and fell in with the rest of us.

Before long, we reached the cliff face and looked up. "How are we supposed to get up there?!" Aaron growled.

"There are some stairs over here!" Wilde had gone a few feet away was next to a large outcropping of rocks. He waved us over, then paused mid-wave as he looked behind us, eyes widening "And so are the Grimm." Wilde cursed and his hands instinctively went to Lupus Rugiat, "They've gotten some friends too." I turned to see that the Beowolf pack had grown. It looked like there were hundreds of them swarming out of the forest.

"How do we fight that?" Aaron pointed at the pack, his voice tight, "There must be thousands of them."

"Easy. We don't. Run!" I yelled, pushing Aaron and Neru toward Wilde and making sure they were moving before positioning myself at the base of the stairs pulling out Thorn. To save them some time, I took potshots at the monsters. When that didn't work, I took out one of my dust magazines and hurled it through the air. Taking careful aim, I waited until it was over the thickest bit of Grimm and fired.

The resulting explosion left a flaming crater and quite a few body parts scattered around. The Beowolves that survived in the vicinity of the blast were burning or shocked by the lightning from the pit. The ones that were farther out, though unharmed, were hesitating. I took the chance and turned to rush up the stairs, taking three at a time as I yelled at the others, who kept looking back at me with concerned eyes, "Go!"

We were a good ways up the stairs before Wilde yelled, "They've reached the base!" and began chucking flimsy glass vials of poison down.

"Neru! Set some explosives to take out the stairs!" I ordered.

"Yeah!" Neru darted down past me and placed bombs on the steps before running back up to a safe distance, dragging me along with her. She released me and took cover behind a stone wall before waited for the first of the monsters to reach her explosives. With a press of a button, the bombs detonated and Neru gave a happy yell. Grimm and stone were sent flying through the air. "It won't take them long to get past that! They can still climb!" Neru reported as she reached the rest of us again. I nodded and ran faster.

We found Wilde at the mouth of a cave adorned with intricate drawings, looking down the cliff with his face set in a furious glare. I followed his gaze and saw a man, standing in the middle of the sea of Beowolves. They paid him no heed, instead streaming past him. He looked up at us with an amused smirk. I took note of the pitch black wolf ears coming from his head, and the ghostly white mask at his hip. I froze in shock.

I looked back at Wilde. His face still stormy with rage.

"Wilde? What's wrong?" I heard Neru ask, the worry clear in her voice. Wilde shook his head.

"Him." He spat the word. "He destroyed my village and killed my family." His eyes were glassy, "I was only six- but I remember that mask." Neru's expression hardened at the explanation, and she looked back at the mysterious man, pulling herself up in a position that made her seem very poised and sophisticated. Slowly, she stepped to the edge of the cliff, her arm raised, and then-

"SCREW YOU!" She flipped the man the bird, breaking the tension, before turned back to Wilde with a serene smile. "Come on, let's go." Wilde, surprised, let her pull him by the arm and we turned back to the stairs to find Aaron pointing frantically behind us, Burst Steel drawn and ready in his hand. I turned around and saw the gaping maw of a Beowolf quickly engulfing my field of vision.

I heard a gunshot and the Grimm fell back, a smoking hole in its head. I let out a heavy breath and looked back to see Wilde holding one of his pistols.

"Thanks." I said, rubbing my neck and grinning, embarrassed at my inattention.

"Don't mention it. More are coming." I looked back and saw more wolves charging up the stairs.

"So they are. Hey Neru, got anymore bombs?" She reached into a pouch at her hip and pulled out some more. She lit the fuses with a match and a grin before tossing them down the steps. The explosions were followed by more howling.

More Beowolves burst from the smoke, but were met with bullets and blades. Hearing Aaron behind us, I turned.

"Bullets won't hold them back for long," He said, "prepare to fight." The first wave over, we readied our weapons.

I took out the first Beowolf with a clean swing of Thorn, its severed head rolling off the edge. Wilde dispatched two with bullets and another with his knives. They were backing us up to the cave, seemingly wary, now that we'd proven to be less than easy prey. One lunged at Neru, mouth open wide. She tossed a bomb down its throat and kicked it off the cliff, smiling when it's choking was drowned out by the boom. Aaron impaled one in the throat, lifting up the heavy creature and slamming it back down on another. I winced a bit at the sound of bones breaking and looked at Aaron in awe.

A paw with deadly looking claws brought my attention back to the battle. My block was clumsy, and I was punished by a raking pain down my leg.

"Dusk!" Neru gasped.

"I'm fine" I said, ignoring the pain and taking out the offending wolf. I dispatched two more before deciding that I was _not_, in fact, fine. "Fall back into the cave! There might be more ruins in there! Neru, see if you can destroy the entrance when we're in."

"I only have bombs that I can manually detonate. Think you can shoot them?" She asked,

dropping her bag. I reloaded Thorn, casually shooting a Beowolf in the face.

"Of course."

* * *

We stopped in a small room in the cave. Aaron and Wilde held torches found on the walls. It seems I was right, there were more ruins inside. It was a medium sized stone room, with more of the weird drawings on the wall. It had two entrances, the one we came in through had a stone door, which had been open when we arrived, but the second was already open, and the corridor beyond it was pitch black. I didn't like the feeling I was getting from it.

"Aaron, can you please close the doors?" I asked, sitting down on a small boulder.

"Why me?" He asked.

I raised an eyebrow, "Hmm let's see. Because you lifted a grown Beowolf and brought it down with enough force to break all of its bones, and I am currently incapacitated." I smiled as Aaron squirmed uncomfortably before giving in.

"Fine." I grinned wider before turning to my leg, lifting up the jean covering and hissing in pain as the fabric tugged at my gash. Fortunately, the Grimm hadn't cut that deep, but the wound hadn't stopped bleeding yet either. I jumped a bit as hands gently led mine away from my bloody leg. I looked up to see Aaron looking over the injury with a critical expression.

"It looks like the claws just missed your Femoral artery. If they hadn't, you would be dead from blood loss by now. I think I have some bandages in my bag." Aaron shrugged off his pack, reaching in and pulling out a bundle of white cloth and a tube of medicine. He moved back to my leg and shot me an apologetic look, "This will sting a bit." He squeezed out some gel and smeared it gently on my leg, causing me to wince. He deftly wrapped the bandages around my leg, the blood quickly staining the cloth. "Can you walk?" He asked.

"I walked here, didn't I?" I muttered indignantly, inspecting the bandages.

Aaron laughed, "Yes, but you were pumped up full of adrenaline. It might not be as easy now that you've calmed down." I shot him a look and stood up to prove him wrong. My leg gave a sharp protest and I quickly fell back down, yelping at the pain. Aaron shot me an aggravatingly smug look, "Told you."

"How are we gonna get out if I can't walk?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Take Burst Steel. See if you can walk with it." He held the staff out in front of him. Taking it, I got a shaky grip and rose unsteadily. I limped around the room a bit.

"It works, but that leaves you without a weapon." I frowned. He chuckled.

"I'll be fine. The other option is me carrying you." I felt my face heat up.

"Um… No."

Aaron shrugged giving a dramatic sigh, "If you insist." He walked away, heading towards Wilde. I practiced walking around some more with Burst Steel. After a few minutes I got the hang of it and called to the others.

"We need to move. The Grimm will find a way through." I said, expression hard.

"What about you?" Wilde gestured at my leg. "Can you walk like that?"

"With Burst Steel I can." I pointed at the darkened hallway. "Do we want to leave or wait?"

"I think leaving is the best option." Neru looked concerned, "I'm out of bombs, and Wilde said he was running low on poisons. Not to mention that you're hurt and need proper medical attention. It's really the only option we've got." Neru crossed her arms, looking around at the others. Both of the guys gave nods and I flashed her a smile. Then a long howl, muffled due to the stone door, echoed through the chamber, and we tensed.

"Let's go." I whisper, and we turned and plunged into the abyss.

* * *

The darkness was suffocating. We could only see as far as the flickering circle of light the dying torches gave us. We jumped at any sound, hands grasping for our weapons. It had been about an hour since we left the room, walking down a hallway with a slight incline. The floor was littered with the bones of long dead animals, and a few people, their skulls grinning grotesquely.

"Well… this is kind of creepy." Wilde muttered, "And that's not even considering the bones."

"Yeah." Neru chuckled a bit, her ears flattened on top of her head. Wilde looked over and smirked teasingly.

"You know, you look kinda cute with your ears like that." Neru wasted no time and slugged Wilde in the arm.

We walked in silence for a couple of moments, staring warily at our surroundings. I heard a scuffle behind me. Clutching the hilt of Thorn, I turned and saw Aaron falling. Trying to stop himself, he accidently hit the torch Wilde was holding. Both torches clattered to the ground, rolling and extinguishing themselves in a puddle of water. We were plunged into darkness with a final hiss.

A yowl pierced the air and the sound of scrambling, then silence.

"Um… Oops." I heard Aaron from the darkness.

"Great jo-" Wilde paused, "Um... Can anyone else see the glowing rock?" I frowned and looked around. Sure enough, I saw the outline of a rock, gently emitting a soft blue light. It was weak, and we could hardly see it, but it was there. I carefully nudged the rock with Burst Steel, turning it over. The underside of the rock glowed much brighter, and seemed to set off a chain reaction with the rest of the stones. Blue started to come from everywhere. I turned and saw Neru tightly hugging Wilde's arm, her eyes shut tight.

"Neru. You can come out now." I softly tapped her arm. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking a bit, and sprung back, face red.

"Sorry." She muttered, staring at the ground. Wilde chuckled.

"Well. Now that we have light again, let's keep moving." I turned and set off down the passage. I could see now that the hallway wasn't so much a hallway as it was an underground village. The ruins of small stone houses littered the ground, glowing blue like everything else. I walked over to the entrance of one and peered in. It was practically empty, save for a couple of skeletons, dressed in tattered rags. I backed out of the house and turned towards my friends.

"What do you think happened to these guys?" I questioned.

"Can I look at them?" Aaron asked, and moved towards the entrance of a building at my nod. A short while later he came back out, stooping to get through the short doorway.

"It seems like they were attacked." He gestured to one of the skeletons lying next to the path. "This one's chest was clawed open, and a couple of the others look like they were either trampled or torn apart." His face contorted into a tight frown, "Whatever attacked them was massive, and it completely overwhelmed them."

"And how exactly did you know this?" Wilde asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My dad was a medical examiner for the police" He shrugged. " I guess he rubbed off on me."

"And you were creeped out when we talked about how we preferred to kill things."

"Yeah. Well, it's not like they can complain about it." He turned back down the path. "Let's go."

We walked for a bit in silence, staring at the ruins, hoping that we could find a way out. After about another hour, we stopped for a rest.

"Anyone have food?" Neru groaned, rubbing her stomach. "I'm starving."

"I think I have some in my pack, let me check." Wilde shrugged his bag off and reached a hand into it. He came back out with four packs of sandwiches. "I have ham, turkey, tuna, and bologna. Who wants what?"

Neru took the tuna and I reached for the ham, Wilde and Aaron taking the turkey and bologna respectively.

"Hey Neru. What's your favorite fish?" Wilde asked, looking idly at his turkey sandwich.

Neru quirked an eyebrow, "Salmon. Why?"

Wilde shrugged and took a bite of his sandwich. "Just wondering." We settled into comfortable silence for a bit, giving our tired muscles a rest. After we were ready to move on, we gathered our stuff and kept walking. The tunnel kept shrinking down until we stopped again, looking at the small hole we were about to crawl through.

"Well... Ladies first." Wilde said, looking at Neru.

"Um... No. I'm wearing a skirt." Neru gestured down and grinned as Wilde's face became a bright crimson. He quickly got down on all fours and scrambled through the hole.

"See you on the other side, General." Aaron saluted me and crawled through.

"Um... Why am I the General?" I asked Neru.

"Well you _do_ seem more of the leader of the group than any of the rest of us." She replied, a thoughtful look on her face. She then crawled through, following the boys. I stood there for a bit, mulling over what Neru and Aaron had said. I shook my head to get rid of my trance and crouched down to crawl through, before realizing that this might be harder than I expected. Cursing Aaron for not catching it before going through, I stowed Burst Steel with Thorn and began crawling, trying my best to avoid anything touching my injured leg. .

Surprisingly, it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would, and I found myself observing the tunnel as the pain lessened. It didn't take long to realize that it didn't look man-made or natural like the others. The walls look scratched and rough, more like an animal made it… A large animal. After turning a few more corners, cursing Aaron the whole way, I finally came to the end of the tunnel. I stood up and stretched my cramped muscles, realizing I didn't need Burst Steel to stand anymore. That done, I started looking around for the rest of the group. I spotted them near the end of the passage, staring at something hidden from my view. Walking to them, I called out.

"Hey! What are you guys-" I paused mid-sentence, seeing what they were staring at. "Whoa." We were standing over a sprawling, glowing, underground city.

* * *

AN: Hey Guys. Sorry for the long delay for this chapter. Chapter Four is already finished, I just need to proof read. Happy Christmas and New Year. That was late. See you Later!


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